Natalie Portman Replaces Reese Witherspoon In ‘Pale Blue Dot’
Oscar-winning actressNatalie Portmanis so frustrated at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for not nominating any female directors that she’s decided to leave this planet entirely. Fresh off her Golden Globes zinger about the all-male nominees in the Best Director category, Portman is now in talks to star inPale Blue Dot, a film in which she’ll play a female astronaut for directorNoah Hawley, the showrunner of shows likeFargoandLegion.
Noah Hawley has been looking to make the leap to the big screen for a while now. He hasBuried Bodies(based on the real life Lake Pleasant Bodies case), aDoctor Doomsolo movie, and an adaptation of his own novelBefore the Falllined up as potential directing gigs, butPale Blue Dotiscurrently slated to be his feature directorial debut.
Reese Witherspoonwas initially signed on to star as a successful female astronaut who slowly starts to lose touch with reality once she finishes her mission and tries to adapt to her regular life on Earth. But nowVarietyreports that Portman is in talks to replace her in the lead role – though Witherspoon (wholeft to film season 2 ofBig Little Lies) will still remain on board as a producer. No male lead has been cast yet, but that role (along with the rest of the cast) is expected to be filled soon. Hawley has an idea for the fourth season of FX’sFargo, but recently revealed that the show won’t return to the network until 2019. And since he’s already finished with season 2 ofLegion, that meansPale Blue Dotconceivably has most of this year to shoot before he needs to start work on the newFargoseason.
Variety says this would be a return to prestige drama territory for Portman, who was recently nominated for an Oscar for her work inJackie. Based on the premise alone, I hadn’t really considered this to be a prestige drama, but the fact that this is a Fox Searchlight movie with what appears to be a meaty lead role points in that direction. Interestingly, the film’s notion of grappling with sanity and reality is territory that’s also familiar for Portman, who won an Oscar for portraying a character who does that exact thing inBlack Swan. Plus, she hasAnnihilationcoming out soon, a sci-fi project that looks to also cover some of that same ground.
